Congresswoman says Trump should be impeached and charged
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said the outgoing Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund ignored warnings that an attack by domestic terrorists was imminent days before insurrectionists imposed their will and overtook the hallowed government building on Jan. 6.
In an exclusive interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the beloved congresswoman who is known by the millions as “Auntie Maxine,” declared that there’s growing evidence of complicity by many in the attack that has claimed several lives, including two Capitol police officers, and dozens of injuries.
Because President Donald Trump proved complicit in the riot, Congresswoman Waters insisted that he is held accountable, and she implored families of the victims to pursue civil lawsuits against the United States government.
Congresswoman Waters has served in the U.S. House since 1991.
“First of all, to the families of those who died, they need to sue the U.S. government because the Capitol Police and others who had the responsibility of organizing security for this event failed,” Congresswoman Waters continued.
“Either they are incompetent, or they lied, or they’re complicit. This is a very complicated combination of individuals and operations that I think played a role in this attack on our Capitol.
“I had an hour-long conversation with the [now former] chief of police of the Capitol days before this took place. I brought the issue about security up in our caucus, and the head of the House administration had the Capitol police chief call me.
“I asked him what he would do to keep these so-called protesters off of the Plaza and not close to the Capitol, and he assured me that there would be barricades and that they would not get anywhere near the Capitol.”
Sund resigned after the attacks and was replaced by Morgan State University graduate Yogananda Pittman. Congresswoman Waters recalled pointing out to Sund that the Proud Boys and other right-wing organizations that support Trump had already arrived in Washington.
“In my estimation, the chief didn’t seem to have a handle on this,” Congresswoman Waters determined.
“I asked [Sund] about whether they had the cooperation of D.C. Police, and he said ‘absolutely.’ I asked if they would have police on top of the building because that’s where snipers go,” she continued.
“That’s how Martin Luther King and John Kennedy were killed – from high buildings. He assured me that they had it all under control, that they understood. It turns out, none of that was true.” The congresswoman added that there were law enforcement and military types involved in the terrorist attack.
She is seeking a “deep investigation” into the attack, including a probe into whom Trump may have worked with, and who paid for the tour buses that brought the terrorists to Washington.
“This is serious,” Congressman Waters asserted. “A lot of entities were involved in this. Many of the rank-and-file Capitol police were left naked, without riot gear, and without the ability to defend themselves.
“They got overrun, and these terrorists got inside and were calling out for [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and looking for her. Even the woman who was shot and killed … when they searched her belongings, they found a video in which she said she was planning to ‘put Kamala Harris and Maxine Waters’ on notice. These people were out to kill. For the president, impeachment is a certainty, but criminal charges? Absolutely.”
Stacy M. Brown is an NNPA newswire senior correspondent.
Support Black local news
Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.